Hazara Rama Temple

The name ‘Hazara Rama Temple’ makes you wonder―a thousand Ramas? Would there have been a thousand idols of Rama here? Or just a thousand carvings depicting Rama? And why the word ‘Hazara’, which has its origins in Urdu, and not ‘Sahasra’―which is the Sanskrit equivalent? Or is it simply a corruption of the word? As it turns out, though there are a thousand (or more) depictions of Lord Rama on the walls of this small, but beautiful temple, the name might have something to do more with its location than the Lord it was built for. ‘Hazaramu’ is the Telugu word for audience hall or the entrance hall of a palace, which is where this temple is located. This might have been the private temple of the Vijayanagara kings, which is probably why it is not as huge as the other temples in the city. This is one of the few temples where every inch of the outer wall is filled with carvings depicting scenes from the Ramayana. The pillars inside have detailed carvings of Lord Vishnu, though most of the figures on the temple gopuram have their heads hacked off. As with most other temples here, the sanctum is empty, and it is the outer walls which merit the most interest.